


the one i'll always love

by crosspolination



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, M/M, No Spoilers, iggy and gladio are a side couple which i fully intend to explore later, noctis loves prompto so damn much y'all. i do too, prompto? loves noctis to death only facts here, soft boyfriends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-29
Updated: 2017-01-29
Packaged: 2018-09-20 14:51:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9496925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crosspolination/pseuds/crosspolination
Summary: Ignis has taught Noctis almost everything he knows. He just never taught Noctis how to act when he got a crush on his best friend.Or, Noctis has a crush on Prompto, and Ignis and Gladio are useless at giving romantic advice.





	

**Author's Note:**

> i was like "i want prompto and noctis to go on clumsy first dates and softly telling each other their endless love towards the other" and then my brain went "dude you're a writer" and i was like lol right
> 
> title from [unintended](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9LOFXwPwC4) by muse

Ignis teaches Noctis a lot of things: he teaches him how to look after himself, how to cook, how to clean up, how to fold his clothes correctly, and pretty much how to exist. Ignis is, in a way, more of a parental figure than his own parents, but he’s also Noctis’ best friend. Ignis teaches him what he knows, and Noctis absorbs the knowledge like a sponge, even if sometimes it doesn’t pay off.

Ignis doesn’t teach him what to do when he gets a crush, and Noctis is pretty much lost with the entire situation. He identifies it as a crush when a classmate caught him staring, and with genuine curiosity asked, “Prince Noctis, do you have a crush?”

Noctis had dismissed it in a second, shaking his head and laughing a little, because it’s a ridiculous idea. Then, Prompto turns around, with a big grin and bright eyes, asking: “Who do you have a crush on, Noct?”

Noctis’ heart races on his chest, cheeks reddening like they never did before, and suddenly he’s very aware of all the times his body had reacted like this whenever Prompto did something. He opens his mouth to answer, closes it, and tries again.

“No one,” he says, trying to go for a disinterested tone. “I just zoned out, that’s all.”

Prompto shakes his head, smiling fondly. “You need to pay more attention, Noct! How are you going to pass your exams?”

“I always have Ignis to teach me what I don’t understand,” he reasons, leaning back on his chair, begging his heart to stop racing. “Aren’t you supposed to be paying attention right now?” he asks, raising one eyebrow.

Prompto yelps, turning around immediately, and lowering his head to focus on his notebook. Noctis’ shoulders slump, and he puts a hand on his chest. Now his heart is slowing down. Still, Prompto turns around one more time, offers Noctis a soft smile, and Noctis might as well be dead.

He returns to his apartment, not sticking around to go to the arcade because Ignis _knows_ he’s on his finals and, while he won’t tell Noctis what to do, the blank face he’ll pull when Noctis comes home late without studying is enough for him to get motivated to study. When he arrives, he greets Ignis, and immediately plops down on the sofa.

“Your shoes, Noct,” Ignis points out, not even looking at him.

Noctis grunts, kicking off his shoes with his feet.

“Put them where they belong.”

Noctis groans again. He gets up, throws the shoes where they belong, and ends up with his face against the sofa again, groaning.

“Is there a problem?” Ignis eventually asks, a bit concerned. “You have been groaning non-stop for ten minutes. Are you injured?”

Noctis debates whether to say what’s wrong or not. He makes a mental list of the people he can call his friends: Ignis, Gladio, Iris, Luna, Prompto. He thinks about who are the most appropriate when it comes to crushes, and his mind settles on Ignis and Iris. So, rising up his head to look at Ignis, he asks:

“Have you ever had a crush on someone, Specs?”

The sudden question must startle Ignis, because his whole body goes rigid and he stops stirring the pasta for a second. This reaction surprises Noctis, because Ignis is not the type of guy who loses his composure. Ignis is the calmest person Noctis knows, so this is something new.

“I have,” Ignis replies calmly, regaining his original posture. He looks over to Noctis. “To what do I owe this sudden interest?”

Noctis sighs. “I have a crush on someone. I realized it today, and now I can’t stop thinking about it.”

“I see,” Ignis hums, returning to the other side of the kitchen, getting more vegetables. “Is this someone I know?”

There’s really no point to hiding things from Ignis. Noctis can tell Ignis has figured out who it is, but he’s glad he’s giving him a chance to say it for himself.

“Yeah,” Noctis plops back down on the sofa, but this time his back hits the cushions, not his face. “Prompto.”

“I see,” he repeats.

“You sound like you already knew.”

“Well, Prince Noctis, you’re not what people would call subtle,” Ignis says, a slight smile appearing on his face. “You are over the moon for him.”

“And you didn’t even _insinuate_ it once? Not even to make fun of me?”

“Feelings are not something to make fun of,” Ignis states seriously. “Teasing, on the other hand, is allowed. Either way, it is not my job to tease you about your feelings.”

“You need to stop being so serious, Specs. You can tease me about it!” Noctis says, sitting up straight now. “So, what do I do about this?”

“Is there another answer that you want to hear that’s not “tell him”?

“I was expecting you’d have actual advice. What do you _do_ with _your_ crush?” Noctis purses his lips. “Is it someone _I_ know?”

“Yes,” Ignis replies, seemingly calm. If it weren’t for his knuckles turning white while he cuts his vegetables, Noctis wouldn’t have realized he’s about to lose it. “And it’s also none of your business, Your Highness.”

Noctis frowns. “Okay. Still, what do you do with them?”

“My job doesn’t allow me to do anything fancy, so perhaps I am not the wisest choice. I appreciate you coming to me for advice, but there is not much I can do.” Then, after a small pause, he adds: “You could try to take him out on a date. That’s what you do when you have a crush on someone.”

He smiles, amused. “I can’t imagine you asking someone out!”

“I didn’t. They did,” Ignis says, turning around to face Noctis. “But I would have had done it myself, eventually.”

“I’d _pay_ to see you on a date with your crush,” he snickers. Then, he stops. “Wait. You’re in a _relationship_?”

Ignis shrugs.

“Not the time for being mysterious, Specs!”

He seems to be amused by Noctis’ reactions, because he just keeps chopping his vegetables.

“ _Ignis_!”

* * *

 

Gladio knocks him down for the fifth time.

“What’s gotten into you?” Gladio asks, exasperated, but concerned. “Your defense is not high today.”

Noctis sighs from the floor. “Have you ever had a crush on someone, Gladio?”

Much like Ignis, his entire body goes rigid. He grips his sword so hard, his knuckles turn white — much like Ignis, again. Gods, why is everyone so sensitive about their crushes?

“Why are you asking?”

 _Evasive._ Noctis decides to be direct. “I have a crush on Prompto, and I have no idea what’s the first step to take.”

Gladio lets out a surprised laugh. “Have you finally realized your crush on that kid? Congratulations!”

“Thanks,” comes Noctis’ sarcastic reply. “What do I _do_?”

“Ask him out, obviously.”

Noctis groans. “You guys are the most unhelpful friends in the world. Ignis said the _same_ thing.”

“Oh, did he now?” Gladio hums. “Doesn’t seem like him.”

“Yeah, he said his crush asked him out, not the other way around,” Noctis shrugs as best as he can when he’s on the floor. “What did you do with _your_ crush?”

“Asked ‘em out.”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake—”

“That’s not appropriate for a Prince to say,” Gladio snickers.

“Wait,” Noctis says, ignoring completely his sentence, “are you seeing someone, too?”

“ _Too_?”

“Ignis is seeing someone, and I wasn’t aware of it until a few hours ago. You too, Gladio?”

Gladio shrugs, but the action comes off as everything _but_ uninterested. His eyes shift uncomfortably from side to side. “Did Iggy tell you who he’s seeing?”

“No.”

Then, Noctis’ engines start working. He puts two and two together, and even though it’s a bit of a stretch, he asks: “Are _you_ seeing _Ignis_?”

Gladio’s surprised face is enough for Noctis to have his answer. He smiles.

“That’s great!” he tries to give him a thumbs up, but turns out, he’s too comfortable on the floor to even raise his arm. “Happy for you two. Why did you never tell me?”

“It’s not your business,” he states. “We’re here to protect you, not to tell you our personal lives.”

“Yeah, as _royalty_ ,” Noctis points out. “Not as my friends. Now that we’ve established that, _what do I do_? What did you do with Ignis?”

“I asked him out for a drink.”

Noctis frowns. “Really? That’s it?”

Gladio laughs again, leaning down to grab Noctis. In one swift motion, Noctis is back on his feet. He slaps his back in what Gladio probably meant as a playful manner, but Noctis is sure his back is spine is broken.

“That’s it,” he confirms. “There’s your boy.”

Noctis looks at where Gladio is pointing, and he sees Prompto arriving with a big smile on his face, waving at Noctis. The way his cheeks redden in one second make Gladio start laughing as Noctis raises his hand to wave back.

Prompto arrives with the brightest smile on his face. “Hi, Gladio! Hi, Noct!”

“Nice to see you, kiddo,” Gladio grins. “You up for some sparring?”

Prompto’s eyes bug out his head. He immediately shakes his head, laughing nervously, “Sounds great, but I’d like to study with Noct with all the bones in my body being intact.”

“Sounds good,” Gladio pats Noctis’ back — and again, he probably didn’t mean any harm, but Noctis feels his spine getting shattered. “See you later, kids.”

Prompto throws an arm around Noctis while they start to walk. Noctis’ face is no longer red, but his heart is full on racing.

“Have you started studying yet?” asks Noctis. “I’ve read like, two chapters.”

“I tried, but I couldn’t focus, so I thought it’d be better if we read together. You know how to get my attention.”

Noctis tells himself to not overanalyze it, but he does it anyway. He chuckles, and instead says:

“At least one of us has to be responsible.”

“Hey!”

Prompto laughs, and it’s all Noctis needs for his heart to stop racing, and instead settle into a peaceful, fond mood.

* * *

 

When they arrive at Noctis’ apartment, Ignis is leaving. He greets Prompto, and then gives him a quick, analyzing glance. He looks back at Noctis and nods, as if saying, “Go for it.”

He waves Ignis goodbye, and steps into his apartment with Prompto, who’s looking quite uneasy.

“Is there anything wrong?” Noctis asks, concerned. “You seem weird.”

Prompto laughs nervously. “Uh, is anything up with Ignis? He stared at me weirdly.”

“He’s just like that, you know him,” Noctis brushes it off. “You want to get started?”

“Of course!”

Still, Prompto looks out of himself, staring at the ground and fidgeting with his wristband whenever Noctis wasn’t looking. He reaches out, squeezing Prompto’s shoulder. “Hey, it’s okay, Ignis didn’t mean anything by staring at you, alright?”

Prompto smiles a little. “Yeah, I get it. Sorry, I’m overreacting, aren’t I?”

“Not at all,” he sits down on the sofa, patting the spot next to him. “So, chapter one…”

Reading makes Noctis feel sleepy, even though it’s not dark outside yet and he’s definitely _not_ done with his studies. He’s got one chapter left, it’s not _much_. Prompto is sitting next to him, with his legs crossed and somehow more focused than Noctis. His head falls a few times on his shoulder, resulting with Prompto laughing and poking his cheek to keep him awake.

“Noct, if you fall asleep, I’m going to end sleeping, too!”

“I don’t see where’s the flaw here,” Noctis yawns, “we both win in this situation. Just a quick nap?”

Prompto shakes his head, smiling fondly. “I can’t believe you. _Fine_. But we’ll wake up to finish this, okay? Otherwise, Ignis will kill us both!”

“You’re right,” Noctis chuckles. He frowns when Prompto stands up and starts walking away. “Hey, where are you going?”

Prompto raises an eyebrow. “Are you not _going_ to your room?”

“Oh, yeah. Uh, I…” He feels a bit stupid at how clingy he is when it comes to Prompto. Quietly, he asks, “You’ll be joining me, right?”

He wonders if he’s going too far when Prompto’s eyes widen comically, but then, he goes red and nods. “Of course,” he mutters, “your sofa is too ugly to sleep on.”

“My dad bought this!”

“Tell His Majesty that his taste in furniture is awful, then!” Prompto grins. His grin quickly fades away though. “Don’t actually tell him I said that. I don’t wanna die.”

Noctis finally stands up, hooking his arm around Prompto’s shoulders. “Relax, I won’t do that. Ready for a micronap?”

“It’s _never_ a micronap, Noct.”

“We can pretend.”

Prompto laughs. “Ready!”

Prompto settling down on a sleeping back, close to Noctis’ bed as much as he can get, is enough for Noctis to feel warm and soft and even sleepier. Prompto is rambling about something, Noctis _wishes_ he could make out what he’s saying because he loves to listen to him, but his sleepiness clouds his thoughts. He’s at the edge of the bed, rolled on his side so he can see Prompto with his right hand falling down to where his best friend lies on the floor.

He sleepily grabs Prompto’s hand, squeezing it lightly, and doesn’t recall if he let go or not.

Hours later, he wakes up and the clock marks three AM. He thinks about waking up Prompto and urge him to study the final chapter they were missing, but his hand is near Prompto’s still and he’s still sleepy, so fuck it, let the alarm wake them up.

When they do finally wake up, Noctis has a hard time pretending than seeing Prompto getting ready for school and having breakfast with him with a messy hair and slurred words while he’s still waking up is not what he wants to see every day of his life.

Still, Prompto gives Noctis a hug with one arm and they’re off to school.

* * *

 

After a week, Noctis manages to ask Prompto out. By that, he means he managed to say, “Wanna go to the arcade later?” which did not count as a date, because Prompto surely didn’t take it as one. As they’re playing together, half of Noctis’ brain is focused on how _amazing_ Prompto is. The other half is scolding him for not implying the romantic side of it, because this just feels like they’re doing their normal hangouts and not a date.

Prompto asks him, with a nervous edge on his voice, if he’s okay and why he looked so weird today.

“If you wanna be alone, just say the word, okay?” Prompto says, rubbing the little wristband he has on his arm. “I’ll walk you to your apartment.”

And being without Prompto is the _last_ thing Noctis wants to do, really. He shakes his head quickly, grabbing Prompto’s arm to try and comfort him from whatever he’s thinking he did wrong.

“No, no, I don’t want to be alone. I want to be with you,” the sentence leaves his mouth before his brain catches up. He goes a little red, and swallows, before saying it again: “I want to be with you.”

Prompto’s face is indescribable: if Noctis had to put an emotion to it, it’d be a shocked one, but it slowly becomes a gentle smile. “Alright. Let’s go to your apartment, Noct.”

When he arrives at his house, there’s a wonderful smell coming out of his apartment — Prompto’s eyes light up immensely.

“Ignis is cooking!” he exclaims, clapping excitedly. “Thank Gods!”

Noctis smiles, opening the door, and sure enough Ignis is leaning against the counter, smiling at his phone with his apron on. He looks up when he hears the door, putting down his phone and nodding at them.

“Hi, Ignis!” Prompto smiles, waving at him excitedly. “What’cha cooking?”

“Dessert,” Ignis replies, pushing his glasses up. “Are you feeling like trying this new recipe?”

“What did you add this time?” asks Noctis, already coming close to the counter with Prompto by his side.

“Vanilla,” Ignis turns around, putting on his oven gloves. He takes out the tray out of the oven and places it on the counter. “I—”

Prompto immediately reaches out, only to have his hand swatted away by Ignis. Noctis stifles a chuckle with his hand.

“Do you _want_ a third-degree burn, Prompto?”

“Eek! N-no, sir!”

“Then _you’ll wait_ ,” he states, deadly serious.

“Geez, Specs! You were all smile-y at your phone a few seconds ago,” Noctis points out amusedly.

“I apologize,” he nods at Prompto, “but you must understand your health is more important than what you are about to eat.”

“Yeah, yeah, Iggy, I got it,” Prompto raises his hands, “my hands are away from the tray. I’ll go clean my hands, and then I’ll wait for the food to cool off.”

“Good boy,” Ignis has a small smile played on his lips. As Prompto goes to the bathroom, Ignis leans over the counter and lowers his voice. “Have you asked him?”

Noctis groans, dropping his head on the counter. “I have, but he didn’t take it as a romantic date. He thought it was purely platonic.”

“Well, that is one problem.” Ignis pauses. “What exactly did you ask him?”

“I…asked him to go to the arcade with me,” he sighs. “I forgot to add the word _date_ to it.”

“At least he is here,” he looks over Noctis, nodding when Prompto walks into the room again. “Are your hands dry now?”

“As dry as your sense of humor,” Prompto jokes. Noctis bursts out laughing, and even Ignis can’t keep the smile off his face. “Can I _pleeeeeeease_ try it now? Please?”

“Very well.”

He pushes the tray in front of them, and Noctis sees Prompto’s physical struggle to not grab them at once. After a minute passes, Prompto finally grabs one, takes a bite, and _melts_.

“Holy crap, Ignis!” Prompto exclaims excitedly, “I think this is your best one yet!”

“Thank you. I am glad you are enjoying this.”

Noctis takes a bite.

“It’s not sweet enough,” he says, still devouring the cake. Ignis nods.

“Gods, Noct,” Prompto says, still trying to eat and speak at the same time. “You should be thanking him!”

“And _you_ should not speak with your mouth full,” Noctis laughs a bit. “It’s gross.”

Prompto tries to smile at him while eating, and it’s both endearing and disgusting. Ignis gets up from the counter.

“I should get going,” he announces, picking up his things. “Can I trust you two with the apartment?”

“Absolutely,” Prompto raises his thumb at him. “I’m here to look after Noct!”

“And I’m sure you will complete your task successfully, Prompto.” Prompto grins widely. “I will see you both tomorrow. Goodbye.”

“Bye Iggy!”

“Say hi to Gladio for me!” Noctis calls. Ignis stops, his hand gripped on the doorknob. He turns around to face Noctis, eyes confused, something very unnatural when it comes to him.

Then, he offers him a small smile. “I will.”

Ignis closes the door calmly, and then he’s gone.

Prompto stares at him. “Are they… y’know, dating?”

“Yup,” Noctis says, taking another bite. “Found out a week ago.”

“I’m happy for them,” he smiles, softly. “They’re a good pair.”

“Yeah, they are.” This _is_ the chance he was looking for to make a suggestion. Slowly, he says: “Uh. Prompto. I was wondering…”

Prompto’s eyebrows shoot up.

“I, you know. Dating is good, isn’t it?”

“I suppose?”

“And, um. You. Yeah.”

“Noct, I don’t get it.”

Noctis sighs exasperated. He’s not making any sense. “Can we date?” he finally says, a bit louder than he expected, but the words finally come out.

Prompto is staring at him, wide-eyed. “Noct… are you serious?”

“You can say no,” he quickly adds, his brain only now catching up with how _awkward_ this is going to be when Prompto doesn’t feel the same way. “It’s okay.”

“ _Are you serious?_ ”

The way his voice trembles is enough for Noctis to stop and stare at him. Prompto’s eyes are big and fearful, almost like he thought Noctis was playing a joke on him. He stares at him, seriously, then reaches out and laces their fingers together.

“I’ve never been more serious about something.”

Prompto swallows, a bit of red covering his cheeks. He looks back, bright blue staring into his own, and it’s breathtaking. To Noctis, he’s never been more beautiful than right now.  Prompto squeezes his hand.

“Yeah, we can date!”

Noctis grins widely.

* * *

 

The first date is as clumsy as it gets.

Noctis holds hands with Prompto, and after a while, it gets sweaty and uncomfortable but he also doesn’t want to let go of him but _it’s also getting a bit gross_. Hesitantly, he drops his hand, only to quickly wipe it on his jeans and grab it again. This makes Prompto laugh, and in turn, it makes Noctis’ heart flutter.

Noctis wishes he had a way with words, because he’d love to tell Prompto how he makes him feel and all the thoughts that cross his mind when he sees him, but all he can manage to do is carefully place his hand on Prompto’s cheek and place a kiss on his forehead. If Prompto’s flustered face and sweet smile directed at Noctis says something, it definitely says that he got the message across.

His first kiss with Prompto is as sweet as it gets. It was meant to be them playing videogames, but Noctis cheated, and Prompto shoved him until he fell backwards onto the floor, but not without dragging Prompto down with him.

It seems to happen in slow motion, the way Prompto is holding up with his arms on both sides of Noctis’ head and how Noctis feels his weight over his stomach is enough for his mind to go a bit fuzzy. Prompto is staring at him in awe, like it’s the first time he’s seen him this way, and like it’s the best thing he has seen in his entire life. He knows that’s the way he’s looking at him, because Noctis stares at him like that, always.

“Are we gonna kiss or are we just going to stare at each other?”

Prompto giggles softly. “I mean, I think either option sounds good, dunno about you.”

“Just kiss me!”

“Okay, Your Highness,” and he leans down and presses his lips to Noctis’ for a brief moment. He separates himself, giggling again. “I’m sorry. I can’t believe this is happening.”

Noctis can’t help but join in with his giggles. “Me neither.”

Prompto stops, caressing Noctis’ cheek with his right hand. Noctis tries to not melt under his touch, but he pretty much fails.

“Gods, I’m so lucky.”

Something fires up inside Noctis — he doesn’t know _what_ , but suddenly, he’s sitting up, circling Prompto’s waist with his arms and putting him into a hug, leaving kisses across his shoulder and his neck. Prompto’s hands end up on his hair; he runs his fingers through it, gently, sighing softly.

“ _I’m_ the lucky one, trust me,” Noctis finally says, cupping his face on his hands and leaning in to kiss him sweetly. “I’m the lucky one.”

He stares at Noctis like that again. He breathes out a tiny, desperate, “Noct,” and this time he’s the one who eagerly leans in to kiss him again.

Noctis could’ve spent years like this, and he would not mind.

* * *

 

Prom night comes, and Prompto would not stop taking photos of Noctis. He’s taken at least a dozen photos of him, photos of them together, but mostly just Noctis whenever he’s not looking. When the night is coming to an end, and they’re outside the school on its steps, waiting for Ignis to pick them up, Noctis asks why there are so many photos of him.

“Ha, you know, I just love you and you’re a great model for the camera,” he replies easily, playing with the filters over one photo of them. Noctis chokes on air. Prompto freezes. “I...”

“Are you serious?” asks Noctis, feeling a bit of déjà vu overcoming him.

Prompto doesn’t respond for a second. Then, fidgeting with his camera, he says: “You don’t have to say it back.”

Noctis places his hand on his arm. “Did you mean it?”

“I did.”

His other hand grabs Prompto’s free arm and leans in to kiss him — desperately, eagerly, because Noctis’ been _dying_ to say it and now Prompto did it first and he can’t hold it back anymore. He breaks the kiss, resting his forehead against Prompto’s, eyes closed.

“I love you _so_ much, Prompto,” he says softly. “So damn much.”

“I love you too,” is his calm reply, filled with fondness. Noctis feels like he’s in heaven. “I love you too.”

Ignis doesn’t comment on them cuddling on the backseat, just turns up the music a bit louder and keeps driving.

* * *

 

There’s one day left before Noctis leaves Insomnia behind and everything changes.

The blanket covers them both, Prompto peacefully sleeping against his chest, his arm thrown across his body while his head rests on Noctis’ arm. Noctis’ right arm is hugging him, keeping him impossibly close.

Tomorrow everything changes.

He looks down to see Prompto’s peaceful face, like nothing is bothering him. He slowly lifts his right arm and softly caresses his cheek.

The only thing he knows that will never change is _this._ The peace he feels when Prompto is with him. The solace he finds in his touch. The familiarity he has come to associate Prompto with — blue eyes, freckled body and bright smile being a synonym to home for Noctis.

Prompto stirs a bit, bringing himself closer to Noctis.

He smiles softly.

“I love you,” he says, voice barely above a whisper. “I love you so damn much.”

**Author's Note:**

> soz if the characterization was super off. hopefully i'll get better at understanding these precious children someday. thanks for reading <3


End file.
